Newcastle man laid to rest after Ukraine death

Newcastle man laid to rest after Ukraine death

26 June 2019

THE funeral of the former Newcastle man who drowned while holidaying in Ukraine was held in his home town last week.

David Robinson was recovered from the Dnieper River in the city of Zaphorizha on June 5.

The youngest of seven siblings, the 42 year-old was buried in St Patrick’s cemetery in Bryansford after a funeral mass in Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Newcastle last Tuesday.

An experienced traveller, Mr Robinson arrived in Zaporizhia and booked into a hostel on May 30.

His family reported him missing on June 3 after becoming concerned when he had not been in touch.

One of the hostel staff confirmed that while his belongings and passport were still in his room, it appeared that Mr Robinson had not returned.

The Ukrainian wife of Mr Robinson’s friend then raised the alarm locally. CCTV footage was later uncovered which showed him leaving a bar and walking in the direction of the pier.

It is believed that Mr Robinson may have lost his bearings and fell into the river.

He was a project manager for All State Insurance in Belfast and had lived in Dunmurry for the past 15 years.

Mr Robinson’s family paid their thanks to the people of Zaporizhia who rallied around to help them in the aftermath and to the many local people who offered their condolences.

His sister, Jeanette, said: “We are completely indebted to his friends. He was the youngest, so he kept us together. He obviously had a big impact on everyone he met.

“He went out of his way to meet new people and find out about them and listen to them. He just loved travelling.”

His niece, Cara, described her uncle as “charismatic and loving”.

“Dave had an infectious personality. Once you were around him, you just felt great. He was inspiring and was always interested in what I had to say.”

One traveller, who met Mr Robinson in Kiev earlier in May, described him as “a truly great guy with a heart of gold”.

A former work colleague said that he was “always someone to brighten the day”.

Some friends of Mr Robinson organised a hike up the Mournes on Friday.

Mr Robinson was the son of the late Margaret and David Robinson and the brother to Jeanette, Oonagh, Maura, Anne, John and the late Peter.